In His Pawsteps
by Pandean
Summary: When Darkfur, the beloved ShadowClan deputy, is killed in a border skirmish with ThunderClan, the two Clans begin an all out war. ShadowClan looks to Dark-kit, Darkfur's only daughter, in order to secure their revenge. Forced between following in her father's pawsteps and choosing her own path, Dark-kit may be the only one who can stop the deadly war before both clans are destroyed
1. Allegiances

Allegiances

SHADOWCLAN:

Leader:

Fennelstar - Cream colored sleek she-cat with darker cream flecks and blue eyes

Deputy:

Frogjump - long-legged, slender, brown tabby tom with green eyes and a scar across his nose

(Apprentice: Leechpaw - brown tom)

Medicine Cat(s) -

Ivyshade - white she-cat with black specks and blue eyes

(Apprentice: Fernpaw - gentle brown and white tabby she-cat)

Warriors:

Thistlethorn - Brown and white tabby tom with spiky, thistle-like fur, long claws, and amber eyes

Redfang - Ginger tom with a snaggletooth

Mudfoot - cream colored tom with brown paws

Mistnose - blue grey she-cat

Littletail - black she-cat with a stub tail

(Apprentice: Daisypaw - yellow she-cat)

Mossmask - tortoiseshell tomcat with green eyes

Coldfur - large white tomcat with shredded ears

(Apprentice: Stormpaw - grey tom)

Silverbird - silver and white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Nightsky - Black she-cat with a white front paw

Yellowsap - Yellow tabby she-cat

Queen(s):

Marshflower - dark brown and cream she-cat with amber eyes (Kits: Dark-kit - night black she-kit with golden eyes, long legs, and tufted ears)

Whitewillow - White she-cat with striking green eyes (Kits: Owlkit - brown and white tabby tom with large green eyes, Icekit - Pure white she-kit with amber eyes, and Leapkit - long legged brown tabby tom)

Elder(s):

Lizardtooth - scarred she-cat with black fur and broken teeth

Rainflash - Yellow tabby tom

RIVERCLAN:

Leader:

Echostar - Grey and white tom

Deputy:

Frostfang - pure white she-cat

Medicine Cat(s):

Littlepetal - cream colored she-cat with seal points

Warriors:

Silvershine - Silver she-cat with glossy fur

Minnowfoot - Small grey she-cat

Pebblesplash - mottled grey tom  
(Apprentice - Splashpaw)

Creekfur - brown tabby tom with ruffled fur

Hawknose - brown and white tom blue eyes  
(Apprentice - Palepaw)

Featherdrift - long-haired grey she-cat with amber eyes  
(Apprentice - Bluepaw)

Duskwater - silver and white tabby she-cat

Queen(s):

Flowerfur - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (mother to Jumpkit, Hootkit, and Quick-kit)

Elder(s):

Frostear - small white tom with ear tips lost to frostbite

WINDCLAN:

Leader:

Gorsestar - (Large dark brown tom)

Deputy:

Slenderfoot - (Small tabby she-cat)

Medicine Cat(s):

Poppyleg - Yellow she-cat with amber eyes  
(Apprentice - Grasspaw)

Warrior(s):

Leafshine - brown and white she-cat with a shiny pelt

Rabbithop - dark brown tomcat  
(Apprentice - Tumblepaw)

Smallbadger - Small black and white she-cat with badger-like markings

Gustfoot - large black tom  
(Apprentice - Silverpaw)

Snowfall - white tomcat with one blue eye and one green eye

Sootstep - grey she-cat with darker grey markings on legs  
(Apprentice - Smokepaw)

Queen(s):

Harefang - dark grey she-cat (Mother of Lizardkit and Mothkit)

Elder(s):

Twistedtooth - brown tabby tom with a twisted jaw

THUNDERCLAN:

Leader:

Slatestar - Massive dark grey tomcat with amber eyes

Deputy:

Runningdeer - Brown tom with white specks

Medicine Cat(s):

Bramblefoot - Golden she-cat with amber eyes  
(Apprentice - Stormfall)

Warrior(s):

Spiderfang - black and white tom with blue eyes  
(Apprentice - Sunpaw)

Goldenfern - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Seedstorm - pale ginger she-cat with white specks  
(Apprentice: Treepaw)

Nightfrost - Black tom with frosty blue eyes

Blackheart - Dark grey tom

Olivenose - dark grey she-cat

Brookspring - silver she-cat with blue eyes

Pinefur - dark russet tomcat

Queen(s):

Rootclaw - dark brown she-cat (Mother of Rock-kit, Sandkit, and Gravelkit)

Smallshadow - small light grey she-cat (Mother of Spottedkit, Thistlekit, Patchkit, and Firekit)

Elder(s):

Duskfur - grey tom with failing hearing

Whitefoot - white tom cat

Roseleg - ginger she-cat with failing eyesight

 **A/N: And here are my allegiances! The prologue should be coming shortly!**

Elder(s):


	2. Prologue

A loud screech ripped through the night as two groups of cats collided with each other. They fought with claws and fangs, disturbing the once-peaceful forest and destroying foliage in their wake.

"ThunderClan scum!" A black tomcat hissed. "This is our territory!" His tail lashed in the direction of the clearing around them. If one looked closely they could find the precious, live-saving herbs that grew on it as long as they weren't being trampled under the feet of the fighting cats.

"The days of Firestar are long gone!" A burly tom hissed. "ThunderClan refuses to be weak. This is _our_ territory now."

The cats surrounding the black tom all hissed and spat towards the other group of cats.

"Foxhearts!" the black tom yowled and dove back into the fray. He was smaller than the ThunderClan cats, sleeker, moving through the night almost as easily as a fish swam in the river. Moons of training had prepared him to face the other Clans. ThunderClan might have been bigger but they were all brawn and no brain.

The fight picked up as all the cats joined in, ripping viciously into one another with their sharpened claws. A brown tom forced himself on top of a yellow she-cat, his fangs dripping with blood as he went for the killing bit - only to be knocked away by the black tom from before.

"So ThunderClan refuses to follow the warrior code now, too, Runningdeer?" he hissed.

"ThunderClan will do what we must in order to be the greatest Clan at the lake, Darkfur!" Runningdeer exclaimed.

With another yowl, the fight continued on.

_X_X

Deep in the pine forest, far away from the battling cats, another pained yowl split through the night sky. A brown-and-cream she-cat breathed heavily while lying on her side. Every so often another yowl escaped her lips as her flanks heaved.

"You're doing very well, Marshflower," a white she-cat said. "A few more pushes and you're kit will be here!" She turned to another, smaller cat. "Fernpaw, come here. I want you to feel her belly, see if you can tell how many kits she's going to have."

A brown and white tabby, Fernpaw, looked up from where she was fixing herbs for her patient. "Of course," she scampered over and pressed a paw on Marshflower's flank. "It feels like there's just the one, Ivyshade."

"Stop pushing on me!" Marshflower hissed and the apprentice backed up, fearful.

"It's okay, Fernpaw," Ivyshade said. "Some she-cats can be mean-tempered during labor and I don't blame them!" She turned back to Marshflower. "Okay, Marshflower, are you ready?"

The brown-and-cream she-cat nodded and her sides heaved once more as a kit slithered out onto the ground.

"Quick, Fernpaw, nip the sac and start licking its fur the wrong way!" Ivyshade called out and her apprentice jumped to do just that.

When the kit was clean and warm, Fernpaw deposited it toward the queen's belly. "Congratulations, Marshflower. You have a beautiful daughter."

Marshflower blinked kindly at Fernpaw before turning her adoring gaze onto her newborn daughter. The tiny she-kit was already sniffing at her stomach, trying to find out where to go to get to that warm, milky scent.

As the kit fed, cats burst through the pines into the clearing that made up ShadowClan's camp.

Ivyshade's nose twitched. "I smell blood!" she said and ran outside toward the battered group of cats. There were only three of them when there should've been four and Ivyshade winced when she realized the fourth was being carried on the back of Coldfur, their largest warrior. No, it couldn't be!

"What happened?" A sleek, cream colored cat raced from her den beneath a giant pine tree.

"We were ambushed by a ThunderClan patrol, Fennelstar," replied Coldfur. "They were trying to take back the clearing by any means necessary. Runningdeer tried to kill Yellowsap!"

Yellowsap was shaking. "Darkfur saved me just in time. Oh, it's all my fault. It's all my fault, it's all my fault." The yellow she-cat was pacing in tighter and tighter circles, her steps becoming unsteady.

"Yellowsap, go to my den," Ivyshade said, looking at the two other cats. "Coldfur, Thistlethorn, were you injured? If so, go to my den. But not before you tell us what happened to Darkfur."

"Runningdeer killed him," Coldfur said, eyes icy with hate. "Darkfur saved Yellowsap's life but lost his own in return."

Cats were now coming out of their dens and into the clearing. There were gasps and murmurs as they saw the dead deputy lying on the ground. Darkfur had been beloved by all. A cat screeched, "Darkfur!" It was Marshflower. A white queen was holding her back from racing to the dead body.

"Where is Runningdeer! I'll kill him! I'll use his bones to sharpen my claws, I swear it!" Marshflower surged against Whitewillow.

"Marshflower, think of your daughter! You can't leave her here alone!" Whitewillow mewed.

The fire died from Marshflower's eyes. "Darkfur will never see his daughter."

Fennelstar padded over to the distraught queen. "He will watch her from StarClan, I'm sure of it."

The clan leader and queen helped get Marshflower back into her nest so that her newborn kit could suckle.

"Have you named her?" Fennelstar asked.

"I was going to wait until-until Darkfur was back but I guess now..." Marshflower trailed off, licking her baby on the head. "She looks exactly like Darkfur." A stubborn, determined look fell over the queen. "Her name will be Dark-kit," she mewed. "In honor of her father."

Fennelstar nodded, her eyes narrowed. "Rest assured, we will get justice for Darkfur, Marshflower. If ThunderClan wants a war, well, we'll give them one."

 **A/N: So that was the prologue! What did you think?**


End file.
